Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2003 22:41:37 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Glen Lovelace III Subject: Eurasian Collared Dove at Oak Grove (DE) While this is not quite in MD, it is another sighting of Eurasian Collared Dove within a half mile of the state line. Thought the list may be interested in case the bird heads west. Hello All, This evening's stop by the North Oak Grove Road puddle produced a totally unexpected find tonight. The puddle itself was less active than previous days with 40 Lesser Yellows, about 10 Pec Sands, 9 Wilson's Snipe, 2 peep sp, ~100 Geese and 9 Mallard. In the process of scanning the field, Shelly scans along the irrigation (where an Eagle had been perched Wednesday morning). What she comes up with was a pale dove. The details: -Time: 9/26/03 5:55 PM - 6:40 PM -Viewing Conditions: mostly clear with a light breeze. The sun was at our back and the direction of view was southeast. The entire field was well lit until the last few minutes of the observation. The distance was probably on the order of a quarter mile, decreasing throughout the observation as the dove moved along the line of irrigation toward us. I will have to check the USGS map at work for a more accurate estimate. -Location: North Oak Grove Rd, west of Seaford, DE. The irrigation line is on the east side of the road, approx. 8/10 of a mile north of DE 20. Currently, the corn immediately south of the irrigation remains in the field, while around the irrigation and north of it has been harvested (and is the location of the puddle). -Optics: Viewed using a Kowa TSN-823 scope with a 32x wide angle eyepiece and a Kowa TSN-823M scope with a 32x wide angle eyepiece. -Behavior: The dove was first located at the far end of the irrigation near the small metal shed farthest away. At this distance, it was obvious that it was different from the Mourning Doves nearby, but difficult to make out enough detail to separate Ringed Turtle Dove. The initial gizz reaction was Collared Dove. As it got closer, more details became evident. The bird would sit on the irrigation for a bit, then drop to the ground (presumably to feed on shelled corn left in the field) and then back up to the irrigation. Each such move brought the bird closer to the road until it was in the vicinity of the closer small metal shed. -The bird (from my field notes): A large pasty pale dove, chunkier and longer than adjacent Mourning Doves. Black collar with a narrow white band bordering upper edge of the collar. A square tail, observed both perched and in flight. While in flight, extensive white ends of the tail feathers on each corner of the tail. When the bird came closer, darker primaries of the perched bird could be differentiated from the pasty color of the rest of the bird. -Experience of the observers: Shelly and I have seen Collared Dove many times from the birds in Selbyville to 4 other states. However, we have only seen one Ringed Turtle Dove in Hickman, KY in June 2002. Sibley's Guide to Eastern Birds was used to aid in separating Collared Dove from Turtle Dove. -Comment: This seems about the least likely spot I could have picked to find this bird. All of my other observations have been in a town or suburban setting. However, several have been in association with grain elevators and feed mills (Hickman, KY and Tiptonville, TN). Perhaps the grain is the connection to this find. -The bad news: We last saw the bird as it dropped to the ground near the close metal shed. As each of us scanned left, we independently picked up a chunky dove flying away from us and eventually disappearing over the woods to the east. We suspected, but not positive, that this was the same bird. -To potential observers: I plan to be home most of the day tomorrow. If anybody comes looking for the bird, please call ahead (I am in DOS or SBC directories, but not the phone book) or email or stop by (two-story farmhouse with red metal roof, barn with a tree downed by the hurricane in the corner of it, about 1 mile north of the site described above, on the west side of North Oak Grove Rd). If you go directly to the site, do not be surprised if the farmer stops and asks what you are doing. He is used to me stopping there, but I do not know what his reaction to strangers with spotting scopes may be. Good Birding, Glen and Shelly Lovelace Seaford, DE ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================